As a migrant living in the UK, you may not realise you need a UK provisional driving licence. But even if you use public transport and have no intention of owning a car, a provisional licence can come in handy. So, getting one should be on your checklist of things to do when you arrive in the UK.
Your provisional driving licence lasts for ten years, and you can change it to a full driving licence when you pass your theory and practical driving test.
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Why you may need a provisional licence
A provisional driving licence contains all your important identity information, meaning it also serves as an additional photographic ID. This means you won’t need to carry your international passport everywhere. This will reduce the risk of losing your passport, which is much more important and can be hard to replace in a foreign country.
The conditions of your provisional driving licence
You can apply for a provisional licence if you’ve lived in the country for six months. However, other people got it after being in the country for less than six months.
To drive with a provisional driving licence in the UK, someone with a full driving licence and three years of driving experience should be sitting beside you.
While learning, the “L” sign should be visible on both the front and the rear of the vehicle you’re using to learn.
So, how do you apply for a provisional driving licence?
Step #1: Google away
Type in “apply for a provisional licence” on Google and click on the search icon. You should find the gov.UK site in the suggestions. Click on the suggested link, which will direct you to a page on how to get your first provisional driving licence. Alternatively, click here to go directly to this page.
Step #2: Browse through the required documents
As you scroll down the gov.UK page, you’ll see a “before you start” guide. On the bullet points telling you what you’ll need, click on “identity document” to check the ID required to apply for a provisional driving licence. This will direct you to another webpage showing all the ID types accepted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Accepted identity documents for your driving licence application:
- A share code
- A current and valid foreign passport, with a visa sticker showing you have permission to live in the UK
- A current and valid Irish passport
- A UK biometric residence permit
- A travel document
- A UK birth, adoption, or naturalisation certificate
- Evidence that you receive a state pension
If you’ve just arrived, you’ll likely use your share code, biometrics card, or an international passport with a visa.
Step #3: Get started
Once you have all the information you need, you can go back to the “apply for a provisional licence” page and select the “start now” option. Scroll to the bottom of the page that appears after “start now” and click on “continue.” Then, you’ll get questions asking if you’ve been issued a licence before.
You’ll get another question asking if you have a UK passport.
Select the answers that apply to you and click on “continue” after answering each question. Because you don’t have a UK passport, you’ll be shown a link to apply using the old online system.
Once you click on the link, you’ll be directed to the old DVLA application page. On the right-hand side, you’ll see additional information that you can click on to get more information about the screen you’re looking at. The application process has five stages – authentication, application, summary, payments, and confirmation.
You can click on “next” in the red box to start applying. You’ll be directed to a page with information about the security of your data.
Again, click “next” at the bottom of the page and you’ll be able to enter your details.
- Fill in your personal information
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Ensure that you provide the correct information when you apply. If it’s wrong, then it will take longer to make changes. When you’ve filled in the correct information on each page, select “next” to continue.
- Your address
The address required immediately after your personal details is your current UK address.
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You need to provide an address covering three years of living in the UK. There’s also an option to provide your address in any other part of the world if you haven’t lived in the UK for three years. You’ll need to select “address 2” to fill in your non-UK address.
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Because you’re not entering a UK address, you need to click on “Other ways to enter your address” and select the “a non-GB address” option.
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Then, click on “next” to select the country of your second address and the duration of your stay there.
- Security details
Now that your addresses and personal details are up to date, you can fill in the security details.
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- Provide your National Insurance (NI) number
After filling in your security details, select “next” to provide your NI number.
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In most cases, your NI number will be on the back of your biometrics card. If not, you’ll need to apply for one. You can watch my guide on applying for an NI number here.
Skip the “UK passport number” page by simply selecting the “next” option. You’ll then be directed to another webpage checking your eligibility for a provisional licence.
- The eligibility and eyesight checks
The eligibility pages have only four questions. Select the answers that apply to you and click on “next” after answering the questions.
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Then, answer the questions about your eyesight. The box on the right-hand side of your screen will show you the UK eyesight standards for driving. Read the information provided to see if you meet these standards.
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Answer the eyesight questions accordingly and move to the “fitness to drive” section of your application.
- Fitness to drive
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If you have a medical condition that may affect your fitness to drive, check the box that applies to you. If you don’t have any, you can select “next” and confirm that you don’t have any of the medical conditions listed on the previous page.
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- Organ donation
Your provisional licence also contains information about whether or not you’re an organ donor. If you want to donate, you can read more about it here.
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If you want to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, you can click on the first option. Otherwise, click on the second option to say you want to complete your application and find out more about donation later. You’ll then get a prompt to enter your email address.
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- Application Summary
You’ll get a page with a summary of all the information you’ve provided. Use this to confirm that all the information you’ve provided is correct.
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At the bottom of the summary is the price for your application. Once you’ve confirmed that all your information is correct, click on “next” to proceed with payment.
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- Payment
Enter your card details and click on “pay now” at the bottom of the page. Once payment is complete, you’ll be directed to the confirmation page. Then, you’ll get an email in your inbox. After that, the DVLA will send you a paper form with the required documents.
The paper form will require your signature and a verified passport photograph. Instructions about what you need to send and where to send it will be on the form. You can read more about that under the “Get your form and photo signed” section here. Once you send all the necessary documents, the DVLA will start processing your driving licence.